To Save the Universe
by Android 25
Summary: As the World falls around him a single soldier fights his way to his family. One-Shot.


In honor of the launch of Mass Effect 3 I figured I could do a quick one shot. A soldier on Earth fights to survive against the Reapers. Enjoy.

Disclaimer- I own nothing seen here, except for the character and the plot. At least I think I do.

Private Michael Collins, average recruit, with a medal for distinguished service on Elysium under the command of Commander Shepard. He came back to Earth after a tour of the Alliances Colony worlds, intent on resting and spending time with his family. What he came back to was literal hell on Earth, Reapers falling from the sky, raining death destruction on everyone. He became separated from his family in the confusion and he was by himself, traversing the wreckage of fallen buildings, picking off enemy Husks, and trying to get back to his family.

Crouched behind a fallen billboard, his armor scratched and dented from combat, his visor opaque to shield his eyes from bright lights, and running on fumes. Michael was alone, his M-97 Viper low on thermal clips, and he could hear the moans of Husks all around him. He reached under his chest plate and pulled out a picture, showing his wife, Amy in her maternity dress with her brown hair astray and her blue eyes tired but bright, and the twins, Rose and William, crying in their mothers arms. He smiled as he remembered the birth of his children, he was late getting to the hospital but he arrived in time to hear both of them cry as they came into the world.

He remembered vowing to never let them down, to protect them, even at the cost of his own life. With that thought carefully put the picture back and tightened the grip on his rifle. He readied himself and leapt around the billboard, his rifle in hand and aimed down scope at the collection of over a hundred husks. He smiled grimly under his helmet.

"Now, which one of you wants to die first?"

Amy Collins was standing with the gathered soldiers, grasping her two four year old children to her as they cried. The soldier were gathering what survivors they could find and moving them out of the city quickly to safe locations to get them off planet. Silent tears ran down her cheeks as she slowly entered the shuttle, one of the soldiers helping her with her children. Her husband was out there by himself fighting to find her, at least that was what she told herself, but she knew he was dead. She began to break down right there, holding her children tight to her, crying along with them.

As the soldiers continued to load survivors she could the howls of those disgusting mockeries of human life, and the report of a Sniper Rifle over the sound of the engines.

Michael had killed as many of them as he could but he was about to be overwhelmed, so he charged them to get across the street. His combat knife flashed as he cut his way through the horde of techno zombies, his pistol in his other hand. He could hear the shriek of a shuttle engine so he knew he was close to an extraction point. He started leaping over rubble and moving through ruined buildings hoping to lose the Husks. As he climbed a darkened stairwell he looked down, no Husks were following but he could their moaning nearby.

He moved as quickly and as silent as he could to the roof, where the sound of the engines was coming from. As he exited from the stairwell to the roof a solitary Husk looked on, from just below. Michael almost cried in relief as he looked upon the shuttle, and the soldiers around it. Maybe these men had seen his wife, maybe they had seen her leave on an earlier shuttle. As he holstered his pistol and sheathed his knife slowly walked toward the shuttle, turned off his opaque visor to reveal his face. His brown eyes shining with unshed tears as he hustled to the shuttle.

Before he could make ten feet he could hear a howl from just behind him, he turned and was blindsided by Husk. He pulled out his knife and stabbed it into the skull of the monstrosity. He pulled out his pistol as more of those things came from the stairwell. He was joined by the soldiers as they held back the creatures, just over the sound of the rifles around him he could hear a woman yelling something.

"Michael!" Amy yelled trying to be heard over the sound of the engines and the assault rifle fire. Her children joined her by yelling 'Daddy.' She watched as he helped kill the Husks, tears of joy running down her face. When all of the creatures were dead she watched him shake hands with the soldiers, and pull out a picture. As one of the soldiers saw it they turned and pointed right at her, Michael lifted his head and their eyes met. She could see the smile on his face as he ran toward her, Amy started running as well, and they met in the middle.

Michael spun with the force and lifted her off the ground as he yelled in relief. Amy pulled his helmet off and kissed him, unconcerned with anything else in the universe but him. As she pulled back Michael heard twin cries.

"Daddy!" Letting go of Amy for a moment he leaned down and lifted both of his children, kissing them on the cheeks. Amy joined him in the hug as their family was finally reunited. A roar from the stairwell caused him to turn as he was putting down his children. The doorway to the stairwell shattered as a Brute entered onto the roof. The soldier began to open fire, Michael turned to his wife and children. Amy began to cry, she knew what was going to happen.

"Amy take our kids and get on that shuttle." Amy grasped his hand and pulled him into a kiss, tears sliding down her face. She pulled away.

"I love you." He smiled.

"I love you too." He kneeled before his children. "And I love both of you as well." He kissed them on the cheeks.

"We love you to daddy." Rose nodded along with her older brother. Another roar, Michael turned to see the Brute throwing around the soldiers cutting their numbers down quick. The children began to cry in earnest as their mother clasped their hands and started to pull them.

"Daddy." Rose cried the hardest as they ran for the shuttle. Michael, tears streaming down his face made his visor opaque again and turned to the Brute as it finished off with the soldiers. Michael observed most of it's armor was gone, but he was out of ammo, all he had was his combat knife. He chuckled as the thing stomped toward him, and he could the shuttle begin take off. He pulled out his knife and walked slowly toward the thing.

"You're a big fella aren't ya." He could hear the shuttle close as it pulled into the air. The Brute roared as it ignored Michael and charged toward the shuttle intent on killing everyone inside. Michael jumped onto the thing as it passed him, digging his knife into the exposed neck. It roared and flailed causing Michael to go flying off to the side. The Brute, Michael's knife still in it's neck turned to the shuttle, now over ten feet in the air and rising.

Amy looked out at the roof, her children huddled to her sides, as the Brute roared right at the shuttle in anger. She watched on as Michael climbed to his feet, hunched over, and watched as he gestured with both hands at the Brute. She could practically hear him say 'Come on, bring it". The creature roared as it stomped toward Michael, who in turn started to walk towards it. She watched as they both started to pick up speed, running at each other.

Just as the shuttle was flying around a building, blocking her view of the roof she watched as they both leapt at each other. The lowered her head, tears falling on her children's heads, grief palatable to everyone in the shuttle. She smiled though as realized he gave his life to hold it off, to save their lives.

To save his Universe.

Thank you for reading, I think it was a little shaky, but I ended it pretty well. Please review and be honest.


End file.
